tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post1163097906672200630..comments2024-02-25T08:15:34.559-05:00Comments on The Society of Torch, Pole and Rope: Signs of LifeMichael Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217338828086458862noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-55110650801950519332010-06-17T19:07:31.783-04:002010-06-17T19:07:31.783-04:00I guess this goes to show that they just don't...I guess this goes to show that they just don't "get it."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-2051332067301726112010-05-27T04:49:18.883-04:002010-05-27T04:49:18.883-04:00I agree with the others here on point one. (I fol...I agree with the others here on point one. (I followed a link here from The Alexandrian.) Comparing RPGs to games like monopoly (a risk/resource management strategy game) is comparing apples to buffalo. Further, not all RPGs suffer the same levels of criticism about "realism." The thing is, unlike BESM or Marvel Superheroes, DnD has implicit realism built in.<br /><br />It was heavily inspired, after all, by Tolkien's Middle Earth -- which was supposed to be our earth, but with magic and elves.<br /><br />So we see Monopoly as the high abstraction it is. Nobody imagines themselves as a giant top hat running laps around a few blocks of NYC waterfront property, getting tired every 15 minutes and checking into the nearest hotel. And in an RPG like Maids [http://maidrpg.com], the universe is implicitly non-Earthlike, so it something impossible happens nobody's likely to mind. But we <i>do</i> expect events in DnD and similar games to play out as they would in our world if magic existed, because that's the assumption built into the system itself.Confanityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10361443460498670841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-20305341754061655662010-05-20T16:02:58.953-04:002010-05-20T16:02:58.953-04:00The reason we look for verisimilitude in the rules...The reason we look for verisimilitude in the rules of a roleplaying game and not in the rules of Monopoly is because we don't play roleplaying games as if they were a round of Monopoly.<br /><br />QED.<br /><br />Personally, I look at the rules of a roleplaying game as the interface between me and the game world. I want those rules to be fun and interesting, but I also want them to be transparent: My primary interest is interacting with the game world. If I wanted to interact with the rules of a game, I'd play a boardgame like Monopoly or Arkham Horror.<br /><br />So if the rules in a roleplaying game get in the way -- either due to a lack of verisimilitude; or because they're boring; or <a href="http://www.thealexandrian.net/creations/misc/dissociated-mechanics.html" rel="nofollow">dissociated</a>, or too complicated -- then I'm going to be unhappy with those rules.Justin Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02227895898395353754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-48405666087719365672010-05-20T12:34:32.825-04:002010-05-20T12:34:32.825-04:00I like point 1, particularly the Monopoly bit.
I...I like point 1, particularly the Monopoly bit. <br /><br />I think the tendency of role-players to argue after realism is because the game attempts to simulate and organic situation; your character can say or do anything you want him to. I can see why a player might get riled that his magic-user can choose multiple courses of action and speak to NPCs in his own words, but cannot pick up a sharp piece of metal and swing it around. (Or, rather, have a chance in hell to hit with it no matter how much he practices.) Meanwhile, the sale of property in Monopoly is not role-played. The greater level of depth that sets rpgs apart from "normal" games creates a demand for yet further depth. That's how I see it, at least.<br /><br />That being said... <br /><br />A wizard wants to use a sword? I say let 'em... they still roll on the magic-user attack matrix, still have AC 9, probably have average or below average strength, and they have d4s for hit points. So they want to do a median of 4.5 damage instead of 3.5? Have at it, Gandalf. :)DMWieghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03682249561077936507noreply@blogger.com